1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to water ski bindings and an improved method for assembling a binding onto a ski.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At the present time, water skis are manufactured by assembling a foot-receiving binding on an upper surface of the water ski. Usually, the foot-receiving binding includes an elastomeric arch-shaped portion which maybe attached to a base plate which, in turn, is attached to the upper surface of the ski. U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,200, issued June 21, 1983, to O'Brien shows a typical prior art water ski binding. In the O'Brien binding, the elastomeric strips extend substantially vertically from the edges of the base plate where they are secured by a plurality of screws. In other of the prior art designs, the elastomeric binding strips were attached to the base plate by I-shaped side clamps and screws.
While the O'Brien method provides a secure ski binding, the screw installation is labor intensive and time consuming, adding to the cost of manufacture. Also, the prior art design which utilized mounting screws for the binding did not provide a convenient method for changing the size or style of the binding.
An object of the present invention is to provide a water ski binding which can be easily assembled on a water ski in a minimum amount of time and with a minimum number of assembly steps.
Another object of the invention is to provide a ski binding which can conveniently be removed and replaced, to provide an easy method for changing the size and/or style of the binding on the ski.
Additional objects, features and advantages will be apparent in the written description which follows.